While reviewing seeds supply at a meeting of the officials at the Secretariat, the Chief Minister said funds would not be a problem as far as seed procurement or supplies was concerned. He sanctioned Rs 50 crore for seed supply to be reimbursed as seed subsidy by the Centre.

Dr Reddy said an Ordinance would be promulgated soon to regulate quality, price and distribution of seed-supply, which have been excluded from the Essential Commodities Act, by the Centre.

Groundnut seeds would be procured from Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu to meet its shortage. The prices of BT-I cotton seeds was pegged at Rs 750, which was sold at Rs 1,800 earlier, he added.

The Chief Minister also asked the Agriculture Department to promote the inter-cropping of redgram in the groundnut and jowar fields. The department would also now take up SIMROUBA (edible oil seed) cultivation and also sorghum cultivation in a big way in the state in place of groundnut.